Good morning.
Today, we have this month’s instalment of the East Coast 8th Index from our partners at Lit Alerts. Check it out.
Let’s get to it.
-JB, JR, ZH
Today’s newsletter is 1,105 words or about an 8.5-minute read.
THIS NEWSLETTER MADE POSSIBLE BY:
💡 What’s the big deal?
TENNESSEE
Could Tennessee actually be ready for legal cannabis?
Driving the news: There is bipartisan support for legalization in Tennessee.
One side of the aisle is warming up to medical cannabis, while the other is seeking full legalization even as lawmakers crack down on legal hemp.
What they're saying: "I would say within the next two or three years, you're going to see a framework set up here in Tennessee," said Republican Rep. Jeremy Faison.
House Majority leader William Lamberth (R) also told WKRN News that he had come around to legal medical cannabis after President Donald Trump's executive order last December calling for cannabis to be moved to schedule 3.
Since 2021, the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission has been studying the feasibility of legalization in the state.
At the same time, two Democrats, Sen. Heidi Campbell and Rep. Aftyn Behn, introduced legislation that would legalize recreational cannabis and use the tax revenue for infrastructure in the state. After failing to pass the bill last year, the duo are hoping to redouble their educational campaign under the tag line "Help us legalize marijuana, so you never hit a pothole again."
Zoom out: Tennessee could also start seeing some pressure from neighboring states.
Alabama to the southwest is finally preparing to launch its medical market, Missouri to the west has a vibrant cannabis market, Kentucky just launched its own medical market, and North Carolina is considering legalizing as well.
Last year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed new hemp regulations into law in an attempt to curb the proliferation of so-called gas station weed. Those new rules take effect on July 1
Edibles and beverages will be limited to 15mg of THC per serving, almost all THCA flower will be banned, and hemp products will only be available in liquor stores or shops that only allow those 21 and older to enter.
Final word: Outright legalization is probably still a long time away for the state, whose legislature has a heavily conservative Republican supermajority. But there does appear to be some growing interest for medical cannabis from the state GOP.
Read more: Louisiana floats a cannabis pilot
-ZH
📣 Quotable
“There was this sort of digression where they're talking about what the definition of a habitual drunkard would've been under the first iteration of the rule, and it was, eight shots of whiskey a day would not classify,” Cultivated Media cofounder and editor-in-chief Jeremy Berke said on last Friday’s This Week in Cannabis LIVE.
“And I just thought that was a hilarious digression on the Supreme Court. So thereby the logic was that, if eight shots of whiskey per day wouldn't preclude someone from owning a firearm, how could a gummy, every other night to sleep do the same thing in the modern era?”
LIT ALERTS*
The East Coast 8th Index | March 2026
Each month — exclusively for Cultivated — Lit Alerts observes and reports the most up to date averages for the most common flower package - the almighty eighth.
The East Coast 8th Index tracks the average price of a 3.5g (an "eighth") unit of packaged flower across five key east coast states: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland.
New Jersey, the only state that saw a slight increase from last month, started as the most expensive market by a wide margin (approx. $45.00 in July). It saw a significant price drop between October and December, though it still remains the priciest state on the list.
New York saw the largest drop in absolute value and the second largest by percentage losing 80 basis points. The price of an eighth dipped below $38.00 for the first time and continues a downward trend after gaining some ground during the holiday season in 2025.
Massachusetts remains the budget leader and has remained largely flat, however this month the price drop was the largest, dropping nearly a full percentage point. Unfortunately the bottom has not yet arrived in Massachusetts.
Connecticut and Maryland remain in the middle of the pack but both experienced further price compression heading into March.
*To learn more about Lit Alerts and get a special offer only available to Cultivated readers, visit litalerts.com.
⏩ Quick hits
New York regulators said sales in 2026 were booming, with almost $250 million in sales coming just in the first three weeks of February.
A bill out of Oregon that would have placed a 10mg limit on edibles failed to pass the state House.
Michigan regulators are reminding cannabis shops to stop using the label "dispensary" which is reserved for pharmacies.
A new bill in Kentucky would impose a 4% tax on all alcoholic and THC beverages if passed.
🤝 Deals, launches, partnerships
Trulieve is expanding its Onward brand of hemp-derived THC beverages into more states, as competitor Curaleaf pulls out of the industry entirely. $TCNNF ( ▲ 1.13% )
Pennsylvania medical cannabis patients now have access to Connected and Alien Labs, two of California's most sought-after cannabis brands, through a new partnership between Insa Inc. and Connected International. Alien Labs is set to debut in the state in late March.
👨⚖️ Lawsuits
A pair of brewers in Cincinnati sued the State of Ohio on Mar. 6 over an impending law that would ban the sale of THC drinks in the state.
🔬Science & research
A new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge found that drug use can increase the risk of strokes, drawing on medical data from more than 100 million people. The study found a 37% higher relative likelihood of stroke among cannabis users, though the study does not provide a baseline absolute risk figure.
A study out of Brown University found that consuming THC beverages made individuals less likely to imbibe alcohol, at least in the short term. More research is needed to see what the long-term impact might be.
📰 What we’re reading